Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has assured Australians that national facial biometric matching capability would “only bring existing arrangements into real time”, after the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to a suite of new ‘anti-terrorism’ measures yesterday.

As the mainstream establishment continues to dismiss privacy concerns of advocates across the country, Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman seemingly showed no reserve in support of the overhaul, declaring “we live in very uncertain times” and “this is the new world order”.

NEW PROPOSALS:

In 2014, following a number of ‘foiled beheading plots’ in Australia, Attorney-General George Brandis and parliament unanimously passed what is known globally as the ‘triple terror’: three individual pieces of ‘anti-terrorism’ amendments to existing legislation introduced by the Howard government after 9/11.

This weekend, following a mass-shooting in Las Vegas, it was rumoured (and later confirmed) that the Australian government would use the opportunity to further push an even tougher overhaul of the legislation, including discussions on national facial recognition capabilities at a COAG meeting in Canberra on Thursday.

In the meeting, state leaders and ministers unanimously approved a counter-terrorism package that “enhances” public safety by increasing surveillance of private citizens and removes longstanding rights for those suspected of terrorist involvement.

This will include all states and territories handing over driver’s licenses and passport photos for a national identification database, allowing for real-time facial recognition when matched to state CCTV footage, bypassing current state restrictions and laws on obtaining such information.

Other changes will also entail an expansion of existing ‘preemptive detention orders’, allowing for up to 14 days detention without charge, and to make it a criminal offence to ‘launch a terror attack hoax’ or ‘to possess material on how to undertake a terror attack’.

Privacy advocates including the Australian Privacy Foundation, Digital Rights Watch, the Electronic Frontiers Foundation, as well as the Greens, all criticised the proposal as an erosion of civil liberties.

Mr Turnbull has dismissed suggestions the database could lead to a mass surveillance of citizens, stating the licence photos will ‘complement’ the country’s existing database of passport photos.

THE NEW WORLD ORDER:

As the national debate between privacy advocate groups and government officials continues following the announcement, one state leader has gone a step further with his support for the program, seemingly showing no reserve when declaring that we are entering the age of the new world order.

In an interview with state media yesterday, Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman had this to say about the proposed overhaul and security concerns:

“That will not only ensure greater security measures are in place at a national level but it will also assist local jurisdictions in law enforcement, in preventing crime and keeping our local communities safe.

There is no doubt that we live in very uncertain times and this is the new world order.

We have to adapt and we need to ensure that our nation’s law enforcement agencies and governments are ahead of the game and that includes on occasions needing to put privacy concerns alongside protecting our communities.

When it comes to that choice, it’s the latter that Tasmania, and I think the nation, should choose.”

Indeed, many Australians feel the Premier’s words confirm privacy concerns associated with the overhaul, as it seems more prevalent with each passing day that Australia is heading towards a dystopic vision for society only paralleled in China and Russia.

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